Beginning May 20, Zawed will spend 10 weeks in Martinsried, a suburb of Munich, Germany, assisting the doctoral research of Neysan Donnelly. Zawed’s research will study the effects of chromosome abnormalities on human cells.

Zawed, a junior from Chittagong, Bangladesh, is enrolled in Minnesota State Mankato’s Honors Program and is majoring in biomedical sciences and minoring in chemistry. He is one of 300 undergraduates to receive the award from more than 2,200 applicants from the United States, Canada and the U.K. A stipend from DAAD covers interns’ living expenses.

“I would like to thank the (Minnesota State Mankato) Honors Program and Office of University Fellowships for their support and encouragement,” said Zawed. “This research experience will motivate me to come up with new ideas regarding my ongoing research and help me to achieve my academic goals in the future.”

Zawed has participated in undergraduate research at Minnesota State Mankato under the supervision of David Sharlin, an assistant professor in Minnesota State Mankato’s Department of Biological Sciences.

“Abrar has played an integral part in lab’s goal to develop new molecular tools for investigating the role of thyroid hormone action in auditory system development,” said Sharlin. “His project has provided the opportunity for him to develop modern molecular biology skills that will serve him in his future research career. It is great to know that his hard work was acknowledged with being awarded this prestigious fellowship.”

Zawed will present research in April at both the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Lexington, Ky., and the Undergraduate Research Symposium at Minnesota State Mankato.

The RISE Fellowship Program is sponsored by Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, or DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), which offers undergraduate students the chance to work with research groups at universities and institutions across Germany.

For more information on the Office of University Fellowships at Minnesota State Mankato, see www.mnsu.edu/fellowships. For more information on the Honors Program at Minnesota State Mankato, see www.mnsu.edu/honors. For more information on the Department of Biological Sciences, which is part of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology at Minnesota State Mankato, see http://cset.mnsu.edu/biology/.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,409 students, is part of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, which comprises 31 state institutions.